New MacBook Air Finally Coming with 8th-Gen CPU (Report)

Apple's aging MacBook Air could finally be getting a refresh soon. According to a new report, the company is slated to launch a new, low-cost laptop with Intel's latest 8th-gen Kaby Lake processors by the end of 2018.

The report, which comes from Taiwan's Economic Daily News and was translated by MacRumors, suggests that the refreshed lineup will include Core i5 and Core i7 models with clock speeds of 1.6 GHz and 1.9 GHz, respectively. Other potential specs include integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 and support for up to 32GB of RAM.

This would mark a significant step up from the 5th-gen Intel processors in the current MacBook Air, as well as the 7th-gen chips in the 12-inch MacBook. The report doesn't mention the MacBook Air brand by name, but it does suggest that the laptop will have a 13-inch Retina display and a sub-$1,000 starting price -- two traits that Apple's lowest-end laptop is known for.

While Apple's next low-cost MacBook could be a big step up from the current Air, it could also find itself way behind the competition. Intel's Kaby Lake processors will be a year old by this fall, and Intel's more powerful Whiskey Lake CPUs may be finding their way to new laptops by the time the new MacBook Air hits.

Since Apple's September event will likely belong to the new iPhones, the company's next Macs are expected to show up at a separate event in October, where we could see a refreshed 12-inch MacBook, a new Mac mini, and the new MacBook Air. Apple has yet to announce plans for its latest Macs, but we should know more later this year.